Wednesday, July 09, 2008

BLB has received a hot tip about Indomania (at least, I assume that's its name, based on the url), a Russian forum that has a treasure trove of interesting images. I don't read a lick of Russian (but my Hindi tutor does, conveniently!) and have been flipping through its pages randomly and with great glee. Among my favorite finds:

gently aging Shashi, looking adorably happy,

Preity in a funny hat,

Neetu and Amitabh gettin' down,

what must be the best Mithun movie EVER.Is it too much to ask that this is a scene from an actual movie and therefore there might be three more hours of similar fun? Pleeeeease?

Oh, Ajooba! How I long to own you! I absolutely must see it even though everyone says it's awful.

Bollyviewer - I hope you're wrong about Mithun, just because I really want to see that movie, but I will resign myself to it in time :)

iz - Yay!

DG - Me too. I love their funky moves.

Anarchavist and Amrita - If you look at the picture just above that one on the Russian site, it's the cover of the album for Adalat. I too want to bust those moves - they are awesome, and I think I could actually do them. They might even be a little bit Tae-Bo, based on this picture..... Neetu and Amitabh are one of my favorite couples, even though I think I've only seen them as such in Parvarish.

I LOVE the Shashi pic- he is just so...huggable! Re: the Mithun pic- it looks like there are Dimple Kapadia(white pants) and Anita Raj (Red gown) with him, and they are posing with the letters "NL"- I cant recognize the other women though.I researched every movie Anita raj did at IMDB, and looks like she didnt do anything that could match this pic....

Beth, I am shocked - shocked! - to hear your readers maligning a fine film such as Ajooba. What kind of an establishment are you running here? After all, this is the only Amitabh film in which he can be seen battling a giant, Godzilla-style, man-in-a-rubber-suit monster. As such, it is not only a great film by default, but also a necessary contribution to world culture.

That Mithun movie looks like Humse Na Takrana (1990) (it has everyone mentioned by Shweta but no Dimple) and the one in silver dress on his right is Kimi Katkar. And on the left most the Padmini Kolhapure look alike also looks like Ranjita.

Btw, Ajooba is one of my favorite Amitabh movies, the sword scene near the end being the most favorite one. Thanks for the lovely photo of Shashi, Beth. His smile is to die for and those non-aligned teeth he has got just add charm like icing on the cake... I want to sing "maar daala allaah maar daala"

Not sure whether I already said this or not, but the changing headers on BLB are my favorite! Specially like the ones with little comments on them. :D

kanan - Never fear, there will be bahut Shashi coming up, probably for a few months solid. I hope I don't have any non-Shashi-liking readers, because they're going to drop me like a hot potato.

Todd and others will be delighted to know that you like Ajooba; I'm in the middle of trying to track down a copy.

Isn't he adorable there? If that is from Ajooba and I have my history right, his wife probably just died, so it's nice to think of him smiling and being with friends.

And thank you re: banners! I love to make those (no surprise), and if you ever find a picture you think I need to use, send it along :) I'm going to try something with that Neetu/Amitabh picture this evening - it is too groovy not to use.

omg I got it! its the only explanation!!! and pls dont post this if u think im being stupid, but I do beleive I am right.

The photo of Mithun is a staged pic for some mag, since I have researched enough to ensure that Mithun did not appear in a movie simultaneously with Anita and Dimple. The "NL" MUST stand for "Natwar Lal." No, not the 1979 movie- but the story behind it. Natwar Lal is/was a real life con man, and was quite notorious in the late 70s, before being caught in the mid 80s. His fame clearly affected Bollywood, unless my head is wandering.

It was not only produced by Sashi Kapoor and had an excellent performance from him, it had a good story and acting by other actors too. Shyam Benegal directed the movie. It is not a masala movie for sure.

Shweta - That is some serious research you have done there, and I am very impressed with the tie to real life! I have sent the photo to my most Mithun-knowledgeable contact (my brain finally remembered his email address), and I will certainly post whatever info he comes up with.

And I support your obsession fully!

mm - Oooh! I remember those! And now I must go in search of the music....

Jasmine - It is not! But I can rent it locally, so that's the only reason I didn't buy it. It's definitely on the "to watch" list.

Hiya all, I asked a diehard Mithunda fan I know and here's what he had to say for the above photo:

"This was supposed to be a Bond type movie that never got made. I think it's one of the publicity photos. Can't remember the name now. Mithunda also appeared in a similar avtar for a popular brand surrounded by all the top models of India at that time like Kitu Gidwani, Sonu Walia, Bijli. I think it was for Mayur Fabrics. Btw, watch out for Mithunda's upcoming movies 'Zindagi Tere Naam' and 'Phir Kabhi'. Both are matured love stories. In fact, ZTN's songs are real good."

my other filmi projects

Bong Along - a blog on vintage Bengali movies co-written by Indie Quill and me (and perhaps a few very friendly appearances by other friends as well).

Masala Zindabad - the podcast by Indie Quill and me, often featuring other writers and fans as guests. Masala Zindabad is an affectionate and thoughtful look at the broad range of themes that define Bollywood and make Bollywood defy definition. Available at iTunes.

Mysterious Order of the Skeleton Suit - the Agents of M.O.S.S. are a shadowy confederation of like-minded writers, broadcasters, creators, and jetsetters who have banded together in a bold mission to bring international intrigue and pop entertainment to the masses. Can anyone stand in the way of their diabolical schemes?

pragmatics

Text (c) 2005–2014, Beth Watkins. The ideas and opinions expressed in this site are mine alone unless otherwise attributed. They do not necessarily represent the views of my employer or of any other organization or website with which I may be associated.